Record analyzing mechanism



Dec. 9, 1941. o. WEITMANN RECORD ANALYZINGMECHANISM Filed Sept. 15, 1939 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 9, 1941 2,265,462 RECORD ANALYZING MECHAN ISM International Business New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 15, 1939,

v 4 Claims.

This invention relates to record analyzing mechanisms and, more particularly, to electrical sensing devices of the type employed in record controlled electrical accounting machines to detect value-representing perforations disposed at differential locations on the records.

Devices of this nature which are of common knowledge in the art comprise a row of electrical brushes and a contact roll or bar adjacent thereto. Records in the form of tabulating cards with holes punched in them to represent data are fed in succession between the contact bar and the brushes. With this arrangement, when one of the brushes drops through a hole in the card it makes electrical contact with the bar to establish a predetermined machine circuit. A set of circuit breaking devices are usually placed in series with the brush circuits and are timed so as to control the making and breaking of these circuits as the brushes contact the holes in the card. In this manner, the excessive arcing which would otherwise occur vat the brushes is absorbed by the circuit breaking devices.

However, under certain operating conditions there is still a slight amount of arcing which tends to have a detrimental effect on the brushes, causing the ends of the brush strands to burn. It has been found that as the brush'strands enter a hole in the card, they are subject to a tendency to rebound away from the contact bar so as not to provide rm electrical Contact at this instant. It occurs somewhat frequently that only one or a limited number ofvstrands are entering the punched hole and rebound just as the circuit breaker is closing. This creates a momentary overload condition on the few brush strands which have entered the hole which is apt to result in appreciable arcing, especially if the machine timing is slightly off.

Another condition which tends to provide insuflicient electrical contact between the burshes and the contact bar is after the brushes have become worn from constant use over a considerable period of time. The brushes lose some of their original spring tension and thus do not move through the punched holes with as much rapidity and positiveness as before.

It is proposed, therefore, in the instant invention to provide an improved record sensing device having magnetic means for urging firm electrical contact between the sensing elements upon encountering a perforation in the record. More specifically, the magnetic means is contemplated to be in the form of a row of permanent magnets which Otto Weitmann, Binghamton, N. Y., assignor to Machines Corporation,

Serial No. 295,079

elements into firm electrical contact through the punched holes of the record by reason of the force of magnetic attraction. The rebounding tendency of the contact making elements is supplanted by a clinging tendency created by the magnetic attraction, and those elements which have lost all or nearly all of their bias in the direction of contact are nevertheless drawn through the perforations in the record so as to insure the positive contact necessary for accurate operating conditions.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best modes, which have been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view in section of the card feeding mechanism and sensing device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the sensing device taken along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of a modified form of the sensing device.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the modified sensing device taken at 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing andy particularly to Fig. 1, a pack of record cards C are positioned in a card magazine II) in such a manner that the cards may be picked off one by one and fed downwardly by a picker knife II which is anchored to a reciprocating crosshead I2. Vertical reciprocating motion is supplied to the crosshead by any suitable drive means such, for instance, as the type described in U. S. Patent No. 1,976,617 issued October 9, 1934, to C. D. Lake et al.

As each card is fed downwardly by picker II, it passes through throat I3 to a pair of continuously rotating feed rolls I4 which then pick up the card and carry it past the sensing station S. Station S comprises a row of sensing brushes, such as the one designated I5, and a contact bar assembly Il in the form of a row of permanent magnets (Fig. 2) moulded together with nonmagnetic material I6 to form a solid unit. The magnet could be solid but for easier control of the material when casting the sectional arrangement is preferred. The individual magnets are formed into a solid unit because this form is more suitable from a manufacturing standpoint in that it facilitates the grinding operation to even the pole faces and provides for easy assembly on the accounting machine. The ends of the urge the contact making magnet unit assembly are formed into slides Il which fit into grooves in side fram F and thus supplies a quick-insert supporting means i'or the contact bar assembly I1. Y

Brushes l5 are clamped in an insulated brush holder Il which is located on the opposite side oi' the path of the card from the contact bar I1 and in such a position that the brushes normally contact the lower poles s of the permanent magnets. AClamps contain the ferrules of the brushes at one end and are formed to receive electrical conductors 20a at the other end. Conductors 20a are intended to represent machine circuits which are to be completed through the contact bar I1. As the leading edge of a card arrives at the sensing station lit passes between brushes l5 and bar i1 to electrically insulate these two cooperating units of the sensing device. Where punched holes such as h appear in the card, certain of the machine circuits are completed as the brush moves through the hole to come into firm electrical contact with the bar l1. As the card continues its downward motion, the brush leaves the hole in the card and the leading edge passes between pairs of feed rollers 2i and 22 which direct the carddown into a suitable card receiving pocket (not shown).

Brushes I5 are preferably of the customary stranded wire construction, are made of magnetic material, and are provided with slight spring tension in the direction of the contact bar I1. In addition to this spring tension there is also a predetermined force of magnetic attraction being exerted on each of the brushes. It is apparent that the amount of spring tension on the brushes and the force exerted on the brushes in the same direction by the magnets may be of different amounts best determined by experiment in the machine in which the sensing device is to be used. In other words, it is conceivable that there will be no spring tension on the brushes and yet suicient magnetic attraction to pull the brush strands quickly through a hole in the card when such hole is presented. Normally, however, it is believed more satisfactory to have a fairly light spring tension on the brushes and to provide a magnetic force to aid the brushes in their movement in the direction in which their spring tension naturally urges them. The magnetic force of attraction causes the brush strands to tend to cling to the face of the contact bar i1 upon making contact therewith rather than to tend to bounce away from this surface as it would ordinarily. By preventing rebound of the brush strands the proposed magnetic structure cuts down on the number of tiny arcs which would otherwise be present due to the small air gaps created between the strands and the surface of the contact bar at the time of making contact through the holes in a record card.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, a modified form of sensing device is shown and is designated S. A non-magnetic but electrically conductive cylinder 24 forms a contact roll and a feed roll combined and is connected to an enlarged portion 26a of shaft 26 which is journaled in the left side frame F and is driven by the feed roll drive means. The right side frame F' forms a bearing support for an end bearing 2Gb integral with the contact roll 24. A rod 2l extends through the center of bearing 26h and is journaled in the enlarged portion 26a of shaft 26. A keeper arm 28 is anchored to side frame F' and engages a ilat surface at the right end of rod netic structure is similar to that 21 to hold the rod against rotation.

scribed, a row of magnets 25 being formed together with non-magnetic material 2! which is fixed to the rod 21. With this arrangement. the brushes II make contact through the card with a rotating roll 2l, and are pulled toward the roll by the magnetic attraction of the stationary magnet assembly within the roll. In order that the magnetic attraction may be suiiiciently large. only a slight clearance is provided between the magnet unit and the roll.

While there has been shown and described the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to one embodiment of the device and a single modication, it various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a sensing device for a perforated record, a sensing brush composed of strands of magnetic material positioned on one side of the record. a permanent magnet positioned on the other side, electrically conductive non-magnetic material between said record and said magnet, the brush having the ends of its strands adjacent to the material and to one of the poles of said magnet, and said magnet having a predetermined force of attraction whereby the brush strands will be attracted by the aforesaid magnet through a perforation in the record to be held in positive electrical contact with said material.

2. In a record-controlled machine having a sensing station and means to feed a perforated record past said sensing station, in combination, a plurality of sensing brushes composed of strands of magnetic material positioned on one side of the record, a permanent magnet positioned on the other side, an electrically conductive non-magnetic tubing enclosing said magnet and rotating thereabout under the power of the feeding means, each brushhaving the ends of its strands adjacent to a portion of the tubing and to one of the poles of said magnet, and said magnet having a predetermined force of attraction whereby the brush strands will be attracted by the aforesaid magnet through the perforations in the record as said record is fed past the sensing station to eifect firm electrical contact with said rotating tubing.

3. A device for analyzing a perforated record card comprising, in combination, a plurality of electrical brushes comprised of magnetically responsive strands for detecting said perforations, a magnet positioned opposite said brushes having one of its poles substantially in alignment with the ends of the brush strands, a holder for said brushes for tensioning the brush strands toward the record card and the magnet, an electrically conductive non-magnetic tubing enclosing said magnet and rotating thereabout, the magnet remaining stationary, whereby, when one of the brushes detects a perforation it moves through said perforation to make contact with and cling to the rotating tubing under the impetus of its own tension aided by the force of magnetic attraction of the magnet.'

4. In a machine controlled by perforated record cards including means to feed a record card past an analyzing station. analyzing mechanism at will be understood that.

said station for analyzing the perforations in the card while it is being fed by the feeding means comprising a plurality of electrical brushes con structed with strands of magnetically responsive material on one side of the record, a permanent magnet on the other side positioned so as to exert a predetermined magnetic \pull on the brush strands, a piece of electrically conductive non-magnetic material between the card and the magnet, a holder for said brushes for causing the brush strands to be tensoned against said material, the brushes being insulated therefrom by the card as it passes the analyzing station but, upon one of the brushes encountering a perforation in the card, it moves through said perforation to make electrical contact with said material under the urging of its own tension together with the magnetic pull of the magnet.

OTTO WEITMANN. 

